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Off the Air
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Last night I got a wild hair up my bum and decided to install the antenna for receiving local channel high definition broadcasts since you can't get them through Dish yet. I had previously tried a small indoor antenna, but it only received two channels. No bueno.
I went to radioshack (which has improved their reputation - and I'm not just trying to justify a purchase from the shack... honestly) and talked with a guy there who seemed pretty knowledgeable about HD. He was familiar with my problem of not being able to get local HD channels off the Dish (although I should be able too as soon as the FCC or whoever allows it) so I felt confident that he could help me with selecting an antenna. He adamently suggested a strange looking antenna. This things looks like a UFO with wings, rather than the wire monstronsities of yesteryear. They sold the big wire monsters too, but apparently this one was especially good at receiving HD signals. I was pleased to see that it came with an inline amplifier as well. I bought the antenna, the boom, 100 feet of cable and mounting hardware for $148. I set it up without much trouble - about 90 minutes with miminal cussing.
The results were a bit unexpected. Although I can now receive all of the local channels in high definition, I was disappointed to see that much of the content is HD upscaling of standard broadcasts. In other words, the shows are filmed with regular cameras, not HD ones. The result is still better than broadcast, but no where near as good as true HD content generated with a HD camera. OPB (PBS) did have true HD content that looked amazing though.
The whole point of this operation is to ensure that I can watch Smallville in glorious high definition (it's supposed to be true HD, not upscaled). The premier of season 4 is next wednesday and I am now ready!
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Joss and My New Remote
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Given that Firefly is the best sci-fi series ever, it was only natural that I start watching other Joss Whedon created series. First on my list is Buffy. Rebecca and I are in the middle of season 3. The first season was a bit cheesy, but entertaining. The humor is quite obviously Joss Whedon as Rebecca and I spotted many similarities to Firefly in terms of style. Season 2 really gots things moving and season 3 is awesome. I am very pleased that there is 7 seasons of this show, unlike the mere 14 episodes of Firefly.
 I purchased a new remote control today. It is the Home Theater Master MX-500. I fully programmed 5 of my remotes into this bad boy in about 2 hours (DVD player, Receiver, TV, Play@TV, and HD Satellite Receiver). It's super easy to use and has eliminated the need to have remote controls lying around everywhere. I still have two more remotes to program into it (the X-box and the second Dish receiver). However, it works flawlessly so far and I have already put the other remotes into a drawer for safe keeping. One of the best features is that you can rename every custom field to whatever you want. This allows me to ensure that every proprietary button on my Play@TV remote is duplicated perfectly. I can also name components more intuitively. For example, my iCube Play@TV is hooked up to the "video" input on the receiver. I aptly named the "video" input selector on the remote control "ICUBE". Now I don't have to remember which input I used for each device. I'm in love.
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Homeward Bound
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I am studying for the last test to earn my MCSA certification. The test is in the morning and then I am headed straight to the airport. It looks like the hurricane is going to take a more westerly path into the gulf, but I have no regrets about choosing to come home 2 days early. I'm only missing one test (the upgrade from 2000 to 2003) which I can take anytime. My flight leaves at 4:15pm and I have a connection in Atlanta. The good news is that the first flight is only about 90 minutes. The bad news is the that Atlanta to Portland segment is over 5 hours. I hate flying.
Today is the 3rd anniversary of the WTC attacks. I was at work and watched the towers collapse live on the news. I have never felt as vulnerable as I did that day. I am thankful for the troops over in the gulf that are protecting our freedom, our lives, and the lives of many others who may or may not believe in the war. I have spent 12 days away from home and I am as homesick as I've ever been. I can't imagine the pain and loneliness that the soldiers and their families are feeling right now. I pray for a quick resolution to this conflict so our soldiers can return home to their loved ones.
I read somewhere that the baby-boom of the late 40's was due to WWII. The soldiers apparently all came home and their wives were quickly pregnant. :) I wonder if that will happen for this war. Of course, it isn't the same scale, but I'm only speaking proportionally.
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Ivan the Terrible
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I am just south of Orlando, Flordia as I type this. I've been here for 10 days at a Microsoft training class. I arrived on the 1st, just after Hurricane Charley left the region. What are the chances of another Hurricane coming within 2 weeks? Next to nil. Florida, on average, gets about one major hurricane every 9 years. Two so close together was a bit over the average. Hurricane Frances came and while it caused considerable damage to much of the state, the neighborhood I'm staying in only suffered a few uprooted trees. Mind you, no one could sleep the night that Frances was overheard. The wind and POUNDING rain was intense. I was convinced that one of the windows in my room was going to blow through at any minute. I kept the blanket over my head just in case.
 I was originally scheduled to fly back home on Tuesday the 14th. However, as my luck would have it (time to buy a lotto ticket), Hurricane Ivan has decided to visit. As I write this, the hurricane is leveling Jamaica as shown in this infra-red satellite photo. Hurricane Frances was no where near this strong. This is a category 4 (almost 5) hurricane with sustained winds of 155MPH+.
Keep in mind that that the hurricane already leveled 90% of the homes in Grenada yesterday. The projected course is for Hurricane Ivan to turn north towards Cuba. That is news I can deal with. While I have no ill will towards Cubans, I wouldn't mind if Fidel Castro's house managed to get leveled so he can see what it's like to live like his oppressed countrymen do where the average wage is just a few bucks a day. The down side, is that once Ivan is done toying with Fidel and ruining the lives of an already poverity stricken people, he will likely hit Florida.
 Naturally, the estimated time of impact is Tuesday. When does my flight leave for home? Tuesday. Therein lies the problem. Even if Ivan heads into the Gulf of Mexico, the winds and rain will be strong enough that Orlando Intl Airport will shutdown for atleast 24-48 hours, leaving me stranded here. I am not a man to let fate run wild, so I called Delta and changed my flight to Sunday night. I will miss some class time and a certification test, but it seems like a wise choice. I only hope that Ivan doesn't decide to hustle up here ahead of schedule. This is Jim Goings reporting from Hurricane central where I wonder what Florida did to make God so angry.
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